BUDGET CUTS FORCE END TO DARE PROGRAM

It's just say no to DARE, as the Pierre Police Department pulls the plug on
the popular anti-drug school program.

The loss of the program is a direct result of Pierre City Commission's
austere budget plans for 2006. The commission wanted the amount of overtime
paid by the city cut significantly. According to the director of public
safety, Al Aden, the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program was one of
those run by the police department that cost in overtime as well as taking
a patrolwoman out of the field.

"The actual cost of the program isn't that large," said Aden, who was one
of the first policeman in the state to help initiate the novel program in
1985 when Attorney General Roger Tellinghuisen brought it to the state.

"It's when you figure in the overtime and comp time and the flex time that
it becomes too expensive for us right now."

According to Aden, it's not just the classroom time used by the DARE
officer, it's also the preparation time for each class, reading assignments
and collecting materials to distribute.

The DARE program, taught to fifth graders in Pierre by officer Lisa
McFarling, isn't the only police program affected by lack of funds. Aden
said that other community outreach programs such as the Crime Free Housing
program will be either cut back or eliminated.

"We just won't have the regular meetings and involvement with that program
as we've had in the past," said Aden, referring to the Crime Free Housing
program.

Samson Boutchee, the school resource officer, doesn't have time to pick up
the DARE program among his other activities, according to Aden, who added
that Boutchee's focus presently is on other school issues.

But, that doesn't mean that Boutchee won't still provide the anti-drug
message to the Pierre students.

"The one thing that makes this a little more palatable is that we have a
school resource officer and what he can do in his role," said Aden.

"We can still get the anti-drug word to young people," said Aden.

What probably won't happen are the relationships that fifth graders
developed with their DARE instructor.

"We've had graduates of the DARE program who have later become victims,"
said Aden. "And, the only person that child would talk to was his DARE
instructor, especially if whatever happened was embarrassing to the child.
That officer was able to develop a trust with a child and get him or her to
talk that no other officer could have."

Aden said that it was difficult to gauge the success of the DARE program.

"We don't have kids coming back to us and saying that they said no to an
offer of drugs because of the program," said Aden.

"But, if we see the number of drug arrests rise in a few years, we'll be
better able to suggest just how successful the program was."

Aden said that he'd like to continue the program, but until such time as
there is more money to fund it, it will remain on the shelf.